


Leaving Behind Honeyed Temptations

by Airi (MultisFabulis)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21914467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultisFabulis/pseuds/Airi
Summary: Addiction doesn't discriminate between the people who look for the thrill of the high and the people who seek comfort from the misfortunes of life. Once it sics its sickly sweet claws into the unsuspecting person, it'll take and take until it drains them dry or they find the strength to fight it off.Even the harbinger of bad luck needs to find his help. Only then does he begin to pull away from the beast and take control of his life again.
Kudos: 4





	Leaving Behind Honeyed Temptations

Qrow sat at the bar, nursing a cold glass of whiskey. He didn’t know which drink this was; he’d lost count a while ago. There were only a couple other patrons in the bar and they were just chatting away at the other end of the counter. That was perfectly fine by him, since he was here to indulge in the comfort of an old friend.

How he wished he could be as blissfully unaware as they were… They didn’t need to worry about a nigh unstoppable being of destruction plunging the world into darkness. They wouldn’t be sitting up at night, realizing that the last decade or so of their lives was just a giant lie. They could go about their day-to-day lives with next to no worries. How nice. He took a long sip of his drink. 

How stupid was he for believing in a man that hasn’t gotten close to stopping Salem in all the lives he’s lived? How stupid was he for thinking he knew everything about Oz? How could he have not known that Oz was sending dozens upon dozens of Huntsmen to fight her forces, knowing they wouldn’t have made a dent to her plan? How could he have thought, for even a second, he was anything more than a jinx? 

Alcohol seemed to be the only constant he could rely on. It never let him down, it always helped make him feel better. It helped him forget that he was a bad luck charm, even if it was only for a little bit. Hell, getting drunk to the point of blacking out gave him the escape he wanted from this life. 

With the knowledge of Salem being immortal and Oz not having a plan to stop her, what was the point of staying sober anymore? All he wanted now was to leave life behind and never come back. What did it offer other than pain and suffering? At least drinking himself to death would be a death he chose over dying to either Salem herself or to one of her monstrous creations. 

What had his penchant for alcohol done for him, though? Put distance between his friends, family, and teammates, cause trouble for everyone around him, prioritize the next drink over everything else, and for what? An ever fleeting comfort that took more and more drinks to get? Is that worth all the sacrifices he’s made? 

Then there’s the fact he was getting shitfaced while everyone was fighting for their lives back at the farm. He was nothing but dead weight and had to be saved by a couple of kids who had every reason to leave him behind. All he did was fuck everything up. He’ll never be anything more than a fuck-up. 

As he was about to take another sip, an image flashed through his mind. It was of Ruby, consoling him after she threw the empty bottle of wine he had been drinking out of the night before back at the farm. Just remembering that moment made him set his drink down. How pathetic was it for him to be having his 16 year old niece comforting him after Jinn’s revelations when it should be the other way around? 

Yet even she had grown tired of him. No matter how much she may deny it, he saw the glimpse of disappointment flicker in her eyes. He let her down, much like he let everyone down. 

He could still remember the first time he laid eyes on her. She had only been a couple months old at the time and she was all bundled up in warm cotton blankets. She was a pipsqueak even back then, as she never once stayed quiet as he held her. He became smitten with her when she opened her eyes and smiled at him. He swore on that day he’d protect her and Yang in whatever way he could. He may not have been able to be around much because of his Semblance but he intended to stick by that promise. 

She’d always jump on him whenever he’d visit, her eyes full of sparkles and her mouth a wide toothy grin. He loved spending the little time he allowed himself to have with her and Yang, no matter how much he’d try and play it off. Being uncle Qrow was one of the few things he was happy with. 

Then came the time she wanted him to teach her how to fight. At first, he was hesitant to do it since it meant she’d spend more time with him than he was comfortable with. It was a huge gamble he didn’t want to risk. But he saw that twinkle in her eye, the twinkle that reminded him of Summer, and the rest was history. 

There were two emotions he could distinctly remember feeling when he saw Crescent Rose. The first was pride at both her skill and intellect at building such a complex weapon at her age and the clear inspiration she drew from his own weapon, Harbinger. The second was ever growing fear upon realizing just how much she looked up to him. 

Never once has he considered himself to be a good role model. He drank like a sailor, started fights for the hell of it, and has said inappropriate things children did NOT need to hear. Being a bad role model was his brand, so to speak. It kept others from expecting much of him and he wouldn’t have to feel guilty for not being better. He’d rather own it than wallow in pity over it. 

He was naive to think she’d look up to him forever. Sooner or later, he was bound to let her down and it just so happened to be now. He could handle her being mad at him, being upset at him, because he knew she wasn’t the kind of person to carry a grudge. Her being disappointed in him, though? That _hurt_. It hurt and he had no one but his own damn self to blame. 

She really is like her mother nowadays. Kind, strong, courageous, hopeful even in the face of certain doom. She could’ve left him behind to be killed by the Grimm but she didn’t. Of course she still had love for him, that’s the kind of person she is. She deserves better than this. 

That was when he decided. He pushed his drink off to the side, placed some Lien down next to the glass, stood up from the bar stool, and made his way over to the doors. No more throwing himself a pity party. He needed to step up and be the leader these kids needed now that Oz seemingly disappeared for the time being. 

They were too young to fight in this war, especially Ruby. She should be back at Beacon, goofing off with her friends and studying to become a Huntress. She shouldn’t be a kid needing to be an adult because he’s too busy getting wasted to care. He needed to be the man she once saw as a hero. 

With renewed determination, he pushed through the doors and set off towards the Arc house. He needed to gather everyone to try and come up with a plan to get to Atlas. If they had any chance of stopping some of Salem’s forces, they had to get to Ironwood and figure out what to do from there. 

He felt a vibration near his right hip. It was his Scroll and it vibrated again as he took it out of his pocket. There were two missed calls and a text message highlighted on the screen. Both Ruby and Yang called him and Yang was the one who sent the text. Upon reading the message, he grimaced. 

_Ruby’s gone missing and she’s not answering her Scroll. We need your help to find her._

That wasn’t good. She could be anywhere within the city and he didn’t have a clue on where to start looking. She couldn’t have gone far but Yang wouldn’t send that text if she was near the house. He might have to transform into his bird form if he wanted to find a trace of her. 

It was at that moment a couple rose petals blew past. Deep red petals floating on the cold winter breeze. He knew exactly where those came from and he began following them. He hoped they’d lead him to her or at least set him on the trail to finding her. She didn’t need to be in the cold.

**Author's Note:**

> I posted my first fic at the beginning of this year and I'm posting this fic at the end of the year.
> 
> This is meant to be a companion piece to "A Withered Yet Blooming Rose" and is taking place around the same time as that fic was.
> 
> I know this fic focuses on Qrow's relationship with Ruby when Yang is just as much his niece as she is but I'm kinda going off my HC that he just clicks better with Ruby than he does with Yang since she reminds him too much of Raven (in his eyes). This whole fic is basically me writing what I think Qrow and Ruby's relationship was like before the show started so if/when it's elaborated on, this may all be wrong so!
> 
> There's probably some aspects of this I got wrong but I was mainly using the wiki as research material.


End file.
